Electric sewing machine cabinet



Sept. 20, 1938. R. KAIER ELECTRIC SEWING MACHINE CABINET Filed Dec. 29, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 20, 193a R KNER 2,131,010

ELECTRIC SEWING MACHINE CABINET Filed Dec. 29, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 20, 1938 ELECTRIC SEWING MACHINE CABINET Richard Kaier, Cranford, N. J assignor to The Smger Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 29, 1936, Serial No. 118,035

2 Claims.

This invention relates to electric sewing machine cabinets or tables of that type embodying a motor-controller adapted to be actuated selectively by either the kneeor the foot of the a operator.

United States Patent No. 2,055,433, Sept. 22, 1936, granted to H. J. Goosman and the present applicant, discloses a cabinet of this nature in which a motor-controller is adapted to be sere. cured to the inside of one end wall of the cabinet, in which position it may be actuated by a knee treadle mounted within the cabinet and adapted to be swung to a concealed position when not in use. The construction disclosed in that patent also permits the motor-controller to be detached from the cabinet and placed on the floor to be actuated by the foot, to suit the preference of individual operators.

Inasmuch as the electric current to operate the machine is normally introduced into the cabinet at the upper portion thereof it will be readily understood that a materially greater length of conductor cord will be required to connect the motor-controller with the motor and the source of supply when the motor-controller is placed on the floor than when it is located within the cabinet for knee operation.

To maintain this extra length of cord concealed when the machine is not in use it has heretofore 30. been the practice to provide such devices as spring clips behind which the folded up surplus cord may be held, or spaced arms around which the surplus cord may be wound. Thus the devices heretofore provided have required manual maggnipulation of the surplus cord in order to conceal it from view.

This invention has an object to provide an electric sewing machine cabinet embodying a motor-controller adapted selectively to be placed in the cabinet for knee actuation. or on the floor for foot actuation, and a cord controlling device adapted automatically to take up the slack in the cord and hold it in a concealed position when the motor-controller is placed in the cabinet.

A further object of the invention is to provide for this purpose, a cord controlling device which is simple in construction, efiicient in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which will not interfere with the placing of the motor- 5 controller on the floor or shift it when it is in that position.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of 55 parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. l is a front elevation of an electric sewing machine cabinet embodying the present invention, showing the sewing machine in its operative position and the motor-controller in a position to be actuated by the foot of the operator, the cover leaves of the table being shown as extended and broken off.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the motor-controller positioned within the cabinet, for knee actuation, and with the cord controller holding the surplus cord in a position in which it is concealed when viewed from the normal angle of vision of an observer.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through the cabinet, substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2, with the cover leaves closed and the sewing machine head illustrated in dot-dash lines in the position it occupies when lowered within the cabinet.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the supporting means for the cord take-up arm, later to be described, and the spring means for actuating said arm.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4 showing the takeup arm secured to the back wall of the cabinet.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional View taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the invention is disclosed as embodied in a sewing machine supporting and enclosing cabinet comprising a body portion designated generally as A and consisting of a front wall I, a rear wall 2, left and right end Walls 3 and 4, respectively, and supporting legs 5 adapted to rest upon a floor indicated by the line i. A sewing machine head H is hinged tothe cabinet and is adapted to be raise-d into the operative position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2 or to be lowered into the cabinet as indicated in dot-dash lines in Fig. 3. The machine head includes an electric driving motor M, and current to actuate the motor is introduced through a supply cord S connected with a terminal block 6 secured to the sewing machine frame. The motor M is connected with the terminal block 6 in the usual manner. A motor-controller C also is connected with the terminal block and thence with the motor by a conductor cord 1 which is held, intermediate its ends, between the two members of a split insulation block 8 secured to the back wall 2 of the cabinet by a screw 9.

As shown by Fig. 1, the motor-controller C is adapted to be placed on the floor for actuation by the foot of the operator. Also, as shown by Figs. 2 and 3 the motor-controller may be placed within the machine cabinet and actuated by a knee-lever fulcrumed at 33 on a bracket 30 secured to the front wall I of the cabinet. When not in use, the knee-lever may be swung upwardly about a pivot 44, to a concealed position, as shown in Fig. 3. Any suitable means may be provided for removably supporting the motor-controller in the cabinet and any suitable means may be employed for actuating the controller from the knee-lever.

One suitable form of support for the motorcontroller and one operative connection between the knee-lever and the controller are disclosed in detail in United States patent to Daniel H. Chason, No. 2,065,428, dated Dec. 22, 1936. These elements have been indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2 of this application and comprise a sheet metal support Hi secured to the inside of the end wall 4 of the cabinet and provided with a spring tongue 2'! which engages and yieldingly retains the motor-controller, as clearly set forth in the above mentioned Chason patent. The connection between the knee-lever and the motor-controller includes a thrust member 40 adapted to be actuated by the knee-lever and to engage and shift the pedal slide I5 of the motorcontroller, also as shown and described in said Chason patent.

It will be apparent that when the motor-controller is lifted from the floor and placed in the cabinet, for knee-actuation, there will be an excess of conductor cord 1, which, unless controlled, would dangle below the body portion of thecabinet and be unsightly.

This invention provides means for automatically controlling the surplus conductor cord and for placing and holding it in a concealed position when not required. This device comprises a cord take-up arm II, preferably of wire, pivoted at one end upon a screw-stud l2 secured to a plate l3 which overlies the insulation block 8. The plate [3 is secured to the rear wall 2 of the cabinet by the screw 9, which also secures the insulation block thereto. The plate I3 is provided with tangs l3 which engage the cabinet and prevent swivelling of the plate about the screw 9. The free outer end of the arm II is formed as an eyelet or ring l I which forms a guide through which freely passes the cord 1. A bow spring l4, having one end secured between a clamp nut l6, threaded on the screw l2, and the plate 13, has its free end I i slidingly embracing the arm H and normally urges the arm upwardly toward the position shown in Fig. 2.

It will be understood that the spring I4 is sufficiently strong to raise the arm H and the cord I to their uppermost or concealed position, when the motor-controller C is lifted but that it is sufficiently weak so that it will not shift the motor-controller when it is located on the floor.

A stop l1, secured to the rear wall 2 of the cabinet, serves to limit the upward movement of the arm H.

Although the cord 1 and the arm II are visible in the straight side view shown in Fig. 2 it will be understood that in practice when in that position they will be concealed from view in the normal angle of vision of an observer. This is true because of the fact that the take-up arm and the cord are located on the back wall of the cabinet, which latter is approximately eighteen inches wide, and when the cabinet is resting on the floor the normal angle of vision of an observer is downwardly toward the cabinet and therefore the cord and take-up arm are normally obscured by the front wall of the cabinet. Furthermore when the cabinet is closed and the machine head is lowered therein the vertically movable apron l8 isforced downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3 and also serves to conceal the cord and the take-up arm.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that this invention provides a sewing machine cabinet having novel means for automatically controlling and concealing the conductor cord without in any way interfering with the normal and selective operation of the two-position motorcontroller.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what I claim herein is:

1. The combination with a sewing machine cabinet, of an electric motor driven sewing machine mounted thereon; a controller-support within said cabinet; a motor-controller adapted to be placed on a floor beneath the cabinet for foot actuation or to be placed within the cabinet and secured to said controller-support; a conductor cord connecting said motor-controller with the electric motor of the sewing machine; and means including an arm pivotally mounted within the cabinet adjacent said controller-support and projecting therefrom and having at its free end an operative connection with said conductor cord and spring means tending to lift said arm for automatically taking up the slack in said conductor cord when the motor-controller is placed within the cabinet, said spring means being of such strength as to have its lifting force overcome by the weight of said motor-controller when the latter is placed on the floor.

2. The combination with a sewing machine cabinet, of an electric motor driven sewing machine mounted thereon; a motor-controller adapted selectively to be placed on a floor heneath the cabinet for foot actuation or to be' placed within the cabinet for knee actuation; 'a conductor cord connecting said motor-controller with the electric motor of the sewing machine; and means including a pivotally mounted spring actuated cord take-up arm having a portion embracing said cord substantially midway between said motor and said controller for automatically RICHARD KAIER. 

